Follow the stuff that cities, counties and states build to attract and keep factories, jobs, stores, planes, colleges, tourists and residents.

MTV: A surprising form of birth control

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By Brian Leaf

If they build it, will they come? Thatís the question reporter Brian Leaf answers by following the stuff that cities, county and states build to attract and keep factories, jobs, stores, airplanes, colleges, tourists and residents to burgs and
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If they build it, will they come? Thatís the question reporter Brian Leaf answers by following the stuff that cities, county and states build to attract and keep factories, jobs, stores, airplanes, colleges, tourists and residents to burgs and Ďburbs throughout the region.

New research suggests that pregnancy among teenage girls who watched MTV's 16 and Pregnant were less likely to find themselves with child.Melissa S. Kearney, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institute, and Phillip B. Levine of Wellesley College used data related to the show that they gathered from Google Trends, Twitter, Nielsen ratings and birth data to measure changes in teen birth rates among those who saw the show.Their paper, Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing, found that the show was a surprising form of birth control"Our most important finding is that the introduction of 16 and Pregnant along with its partner shows, Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2, led teens to noticeably reduce the rate at which they give birth, they wrote. "Our estimates imply that these shows led to a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births that would have been conceived between June 2009, when the show began, and the end of 2010. This can explain around one-third of the total decline in teen births over that period."While the U.S. rate is falling, three of 10 girls in the U.S. will give birth before they are 20, twice the rate in Canada or Britain, the researchers said. "MTV managed to create a show that resonated with teens," said Kearny in a video.Here's a link to one local teen mom's story: Poor Town: 'It's not Teen Mom or 16 and Pregnant. That's not real life.'